The Anchorage Assembly will hold a special meeting Friday, July 11, to take public commentary on a new ordinance that would criminalize unauthorized camping on public property.
This comes just weeks after city crews completed an extraordinary cleanup effort at Davis Park that removed the equivalent weight of a fully loaded Boeing 747.
According to officials, the city hauled out a staggering 744,000 pounds of debris from a long-standing encampment at Davis Park in East Anchorage. The cleanup required 1,914 man-hours of municipal labor, a time and resource investment that has galvanized support among some Assembly members to bring back criminal enforcement tools to address illegal encampments.
While the total cost of the 1,914 labor hours is unknown, a rough calculation using an average city labor cost of $40–$50 per hour (including benefits) puts the clean-up cost at approximately $76,000 to $96,000 — for just one camp.
The proposed ordinance, sponsored by Assembly Members Keith McCormick, Scott Myers, and Jared Goecker, would make it a class B misdemeanor to knowingly camp on public property without permission. It specifically targets conduct, not homeless “status,” in line with the recent US Supreme Court ruling in City of Grants Pass v. Johnson, which allows cities to criminalize public camping so long as they target actions rather than conditions.
The Assembly will hold its special session designed for public comment on the ordinance on Friday, July 11, from 1-4 pm in the Loussac Library Assembly Chambers, located at 3600 Denali Street, Room 108. Public testimony will be taken on the ordinance, listed as Item 4.A. on the agenda.
It is anticipated that the Party for Socialism and Liberation will have a strong protest presence.
Full agenda packet available here.
